


Legend of the Chois

by Ferbiie



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Bittersweet, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hurt, Inspired by the game and characters, Not Canon Compliant, Some in-game spoilers, Teenagers being tennagers and doing teenage stuff, This is what I write to be happy and have fun with chaotic kids in a universe that I love, different ages, if you've played the secret endings you are good to go, like at all, lots of bitter in this sweet, there's tomato twins as kids, we'll have spoilers for V's backstory in chapter 7, you do not need to have watched avatar to enjoy this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28578984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferbiie/pseuds/Ferbiie
Summary: Each living being bears a soul. It is the purest essence of that form of life, shifting and molding itself each reincarnation. A soulless being is not only impossible, but would bear such suffering that it would find it unbearable to exist. Legend says that when twins are born, one single soul is separated in two, establishing an unbreakable bond between the two bearers. If the twins are hostile against each other, the soul is destined to destruction and demise, but if their relationship is fruitful, the soul shall live two lives in the lifespan of one. Just like Yin and Yang, each twin needs the other to exist.
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character
Comments: 18
Kudos: 10





	1. Book 1 - Earth: Rough Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This fic intends to be an AU set on Avatar and Bender's universe, but please, if you have never watched it, don't leave. There won't be any spoilers of the tv show, I'm only using the universe set up. There are some spoilers of the Mystic Messenger lore, but if you've played the secret endings you're good to go. 
> 
> I'm really having fun with this fic, so mind that we'll take our time and go slowly with the main story. There will be some years passing from the beggining to the end, but my idea is that the main plot will happen when the twins are around 16 years old. Also, there are MAJOR changes on the characters ages and age difference.
> 
> With that being said, I hope that you'll like this fic!
> 
> TW: child abuse because the twins' mother is a b*tch

_ Each living being bears a soul. It is the purest essence of that form of life, shifting and molding itself each reincarnation. A soulless being is not only impossible, but would bear such suffering that it would find it unbearable to exist. Legend says that when twins are born, one single soul is separated in two, establishing an unbreakable bond between the two bearers. If the twins are hostile against each other, the soul is destined to destruction and demise, but if their relationship is fruitful, the soul shall live two lives in the lifespan of one. Just like Yin and Yang, each twin needs the other to exist. _

. . .

Saeyoung crouched behind the cart, keeping his gaze steady on the target. The eleven year old kneeled, pressing his feet against the floor and preparing his attack. He formed a small flame on the palm of his hand, throwing it towards the small pile of hay that he had prepared beforehand. As a smirk formed on his lips, the child watched the owner of the fruit cart run towards the smoke, followed by other merchants and guards, in order to put out the fire. That was his chance. Seizing the opportunity and smiling at his own success, the boy ran towards the cart, shoving apples, pears and grapes in his bag. 

“Fire nation afraid of fire,” he thought, giggling as he proceeded to open the money box of the next stall. The owner had been mean to him some days before, that would teach him a lesson.

Following, he snatched some jewelry from the other cart. That would guarantee them some sort of hot meal for sure. As the merchants began to return to the street, the boy retreated to an alley, making sure to hide himself behind old boxes. He sat on the floor, catching his breath. That had been a good run, lots of new acquisitions.

“We thank you all very much,” he murmured, looking at the content inside the bag. “Your donation is greatly appreciated.”

While he rested, the small boy pulled the necklace out of his collar, stroking the small red stone that served as a pendant. 

“Stay strong, Saeran.” He whispered. “I’ll be back soon. Please, be safe. Be safe.”

The small boy stood up. As he got back to the street, he kept his eyes low, securing the piece of cloth wrapped over his head, making sure that his bright red hair would never be seen by anyone. Everytime that he crossed the path of a guard, he felt a chill run through his spine. He couldn't be discovered, he couldn’t. 

In anonymity, he was the king of the streets. There was no one that Saeyoung Choi couldn't steal. He was good at it. “It's your place in the world to be a street rat” mother used to say. It seemed fit for him. In fact, Saeyoung didn't care about stealing. If he did it well for mother, his brother had the chance of eating something good, if they were lucky it could even be fresh food instead of their mother's leftovers.

With the money that he had gotten while pickpocketing through town, he stopped at the apothecary and asked for Saeran’s usual medicine, hoping that mother wouldn't mind. His brother had been feeling sick during the past days, besides, he did not know when mother would let him go outside again. That could be his last chance to buy medicine for them.

Inside the store, he tried to ignore the stares being thrown at him. He was aware that he was not a nice view. His small figure stuffed inside his baggy, worn out sleeveless shirt, with mended pants and shoeless, with the bruises scattered through his face and arms did not compose the most inviting profile. Children like him made people uncomfortable. 

“Thank you, sir” he murmured, shoving the medicine in his bag with the rest of the things.

“I expect that you have money to pay for that,” the man snared. 

“Y-yes, sir” the boy said, putting the amount over the counter and waiting for the owner of the shop to count it. He was dismissed without another word.

Saeyoung took the path that would lead him home, in the poorest part of the city. Walking through the uneven road, the child sang the melody that he had made up to soothe his younger brother in the bad nights, when mother was being too mean, too loud, too cruel. Deep down, Saeyoung was scared of the streets. More than once he had been robbed by ruffians in that part of town, and more than once mother had beaten him up for being careless. As always, he had received his punishments in silence, in order to not scare Saeran even more. 

Before he could reach his home, he heard the yelling. Mother’s yelling. The boy rushed to the door, shivering so much that he could barely fit the key on the lock. By the time that he heard Saeran crying, he was already opening the door, making sure to close it before proceeding towards the figure that towered over his smaller twin. 

Their home was tiny, squished in between other houses, leaving it with almost no space to be shared by three people. The entrance was the narrow corridor that served as their kitchen. In the end of it was located the only room, that withhold mother’s mattress and wardrobe. The only trace of the boy’s existence was the blanket thrown at the corner and the two chains bolted to the wall.

“I don’t want to hear any apologies!” mother yelled, delivering a slap to his brother’s face. “Shut your mouth, Saeran. I told you to stop crying.”

“M-mommy, p-please.” Saeran cried. “I-I’m so-sorry. I-I-I didn’t… I didn’t w-want t-to…”

“Shut up!” Mother yelled, but as she raised her hand to hit her younger son once more, the older boy got in the middle of them, receiving the blow and falling on the floor. “Saeyoung, get out of the way.”

The boy felt Saeran wrap his thin arms around him, his skin already too warm for Saeyoung’s liking. He embraced his twin back, stroking his hair while he attempted to deal with their clearly drunk mother. 

“M-mom, please, Saeran-“

“Stop with this bullshit” she yelled. “This bastard broke one of my bottles. All he had to do was clean the house, and he couldn’t even do that, the moron. I’m giving him what he deserves”

“B-but, look” the boy said, pulling the bag in front of him. “L-look, mom. I got you a lot of stuff, just like you told me to. With this you can buy lots of other bottles.”

She pondered, looking at him.

“Come show it to me,” she said, pulling him away from his twin. 

Saeyoung was dragged to the kitchen counter, where he started placing each item. He started with the fruits, that did not seem to please her enough. Seeing such an unamused reaction, he moved to the money that was quickly snatched from his hands as she began to count it.

“I expected more, but this will do to get you out of that beating” she said.

“T-there’s more, mom.” The boy stuttered, pulling out the jewelry that he robbed. 

She immediately snatched it from his hands, smiling. 

“Aren’t you a useful little rat after all?” she laughed. “These will get me a lot of money. You did good, Saeyoung. Very good.” she pulled her cloak from the coat hanger, taking a bag and stuffing the jewelry inside. The boy didn’t move, hoping to hear her talking about his reward. “There is food on the pan. Take it for you and Saeran.” She said, making the small boy smile in relief. “I’ll leave for the next hours. I have a buyer for this new acquisition” mother pulled Saeyoung by the collar, forcing him to look at her. “Take care of the house and clean up the mess that your brother did. It’s better that everything is clean and tidy when I come back.”

As soon as she slammed the door shut, Saeyoung ran back to the room, hugging his crying brother tight. He brushed Saeran’s hair, giving him the small kisses on the head and cheeks that his brother loved so much. 

“Hey, I’m here now.” he whispered, rocking his brother back and forth. “And mom is gone. She won’t hurt you anymore”

Saeran clenched his shirt, curling up more against his brother’s chest. Saeyoung sighed, tightening his hug around his brother. The singing began softly, barely a whisper in his brother’s ear. Rocking him slowly, the boy sang the song they made up, repeating it as much as Saeran needed to calm down. With time, his brother’s trembling voice joined in the song. Saeyoung loved to hear his brother singing. Saeran’s voice was always weak, but when he sang the melody seemed to come to life. 

“We are together now. Two parts of one whole.” Saeyoung whispered, pulling a necklace from inside Saeran’s shirt and joining it with his own, allowing the magnetic stones to attach to each other. “I am you, you are me. Always together”

“Always together” Saeran echoed, nodding. “I’m sorry for crying. Sorry. Sorry.”

“Why are you saying sorry for that?” Saeyoung asked. “You did nothing wrong, okay? Mom is the mean one, not you.”

The younger boy nodded, sitting up. The movement forced the two stones apart, but he didn’t let go off his brother’s hand.

“Come. We get to eat something today,” Saeyoung smiled. 

The boy pulled his brother by the hand, leading him to the kitchen. Saeyoung was the older, even if only for a few minutes, and as so the responsibility for his brother had always fallen over him. Their mother was not in conditions of taking care of them. They could barely recall any occasion in which she fulfilled any of her duties as a parent. Besides being used as a means for her to extort their father or as a tool for her to get stolen goods to sell, they were nothing to her, and were treated as so. The only thing that she allowed them to have was the thin blanket that they shared, nothing more. The rough conditions that their lives were based in forced them to be close to survive. They strived together, as apart only destruction would come their way. 

Even if identical twins, the boys bore physical differences that defined how their lives had developed so far. Saeyoung had always been slightly taller and much healthier than Saeran. While his younger twin would always fall sick, it was his duty to go outside and run the errands mother sent him into. This made him learn about the world, while all Saeran got to learn was about mother’s hatred. Because of that, Saeyoung dreaded every errand he was sent into. Whenever mother turned to him and told him to ‘fetch resources’ or buy them groceries, he shivered in fear imagining what she would do to his younger twin. 

“Thank you for the food.” Saeran smiled, accepting the bowl his brother gave him and covering his mouth to cough. 

Saeran had been sick for a while, getting better and worse, leaving Saeyoung without a clue of what to do. The older boy looked at his twin’s thin figure. His shirtless torso left his malnourished body completely exposed, with his ribs showing underneath the pale skin. Life was rough for the boys, lacking everything that they needed for basic survival. Mother barely fed them, saying that it served as a stimulus for Saeyoung to do a good job for her, therefore, unless the older twin managed to steal some food for them or to please mom, hunger always reigned in the Choi household.

“You must be really hungry.” Saeyoung said. “If you are still hungry when you finish it, we’ll eat an apple, okay?”

“Won't mom be mad?” Saeran asked.

“She won’t find out, I promise.” 

Saeran tilted his head sideways, staring at his brother until reaching out the piece of cloth tied to his head and pulling it away, revealing his bright ginger hair.

“That’s better” Saeran giggled.

Saeyoung laughed, digging into the food. 

Their entire lives had been spent in between the stony walls of their home, with only their imagination and Saeyoug’s stories about the outside world to make them company. They were a secret from the world, the secret encounter between their mother and a respected general that never should have happened and resulted in the birth of the two boys. A mother that was always too drunk and hateful to take care of them, and a powerful father that loathed their existence so much, completely eaten by the shame and dishonour of their birth, that his wish was to get rid of them as soon as possible. In the end, they were left with no one.

“I’ll clean everything up, alright?” Saeyoung said, taking the plate from his brother’s hand.

“I wanna help,” Saeran said. “Can I?”

“Of course!” he answered. “Wash the dishes then, I’ll clean the broken bottle.”

They proceeded with their tasks, chatting and giggling as always when mother was away. They did not have much opportunities to do so when she was in the house. They had just finished cleaning up when she arrived. Immediately, the boys assumed their position in the corner of the room, curling up near their blanket and barely looking at mother as she dropped her cloak on the floor. 

“You did a good job today, Saeyoung. Who’d say that keeping the moron instead of just selling him to some merchants would serve as a good stimulus to you…” she laughed. “Do not get used to it, but you’ll get some dinner tonight. You know that when you do a good job, you are rewarded. I hope that you can bring me more items like this in the future.”

Saeyoung nodded. 

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” she voiced. “I thought that I had teached you some manners.”

“T-thank you, mom” Saeyoung stuttered.

“Thank you” Saeran echoed, hiding his face on his brother’s arm.

Mother scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Saeyoung, and your firebending? Did you practice it today?”

“Yes, mom” Saeyoung answered. “It’s getting better. I can hold the flame longer now and throw it too. I used it today to get the jewelry.”

“Good.” she nodded. “And you, Saeran? Did your brother teach you to do something?”

Saeran nodded, shivering in fear of her.

“Saeran studied a lot yesterday and today. He’s getting really good at it” Saeyoung nodded. 

“Show me.” mother said.

With his brother’s help, Saeran stood up, his frail legs shivering of fear. Saeyoung stood by his side the whole time, his attentive golden eyes fixed on mother, ready to act if she tried to do something against his brother. The younger boy placed his hands in front of himself, as if holding a sphere. He concentrated, trying to feel the fire passing through him, control the flames in his mind and make it materialize in his hands. It was not a strong fire. The small flame formed, withstood in the gap between his palms for three seconds before flickering and disappearing. The boy shivered. It was nothing compared to what his brother could do.

“What crap was that?” mother asked.

“Firebending?” Saeran answered, his voice getting smaller.

She grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to stand on the tip of his toes. Saeyoung’s first reaction was to hold Saeran, but he stopped himself. He shouldn’t give mother any other reasons to hurt his twin.

“ _ That  _ was not firebending!” mother yelled “Can’t you do anything, Saeran? Honestly? Stupid moron, you can barely walk, the minimum that you should do was to be able to form a flame.”

“I-I’m so-sorry.” he cried. “I-I’m trying” 

“Stop trying and fucking do it already!” she yelled. “Listen here, boy, you better learn how to do this crap before I get tired of you. Do you get that?” 

He nodded, painfully sobbing, begging in his mind for mother to let go of him, allowing him to go back to Saeyoung.

“You’re so stupid, Saeran” she said. “The only reason why you’re still here is because your brother won’t do shit for me if I get rid of you. Such a waste…” she murmured.

“Mom, please, let go-” Saeyoung began to plead, but was interrupted by mother’s hand that wrapped around his hair.

“Shut up” she voiced. “Shut your mouth, Saeyoung Choi. I’m dealing with your brother, just be thankful that it’s not you!” she sighed. “Make sure to chain this idiot for me.”

She dropped the two boys on the floor, who immediately hugged each other. Saeran shrieked as she delivered a kick in him and his brother. Saeyoung brought him closer, holding him tighter as mother walked away towards the kitchen. That was another difference between the brothers: Saeran was terrified of fire. Being the children of a great general of the Fire Nation, mother expected them to excel in firebending, using their gift to rob more items for her, but the younger boy had never been able to produce more than a small flame.

“Don’t listen to her. You’re doing great.” his brother whispered in his ear. “Mom is stupid.”

“Don’t say that.” Saeran whispered back. “That’s mean.”

“Well, she’s mean.” Saeyoung answered, kissing his forehead. “But I won’t say it if you don’t want me to”

Saeran sighed, curling up against the wall. Slowly, he touched the wall, feeling the rough stone and earth under his palm.

“Do you think that maybe the reason why firebending is so hard for me is that I’m not a firebender?” he asked. “I mean… I don’t like fire. I think that I was born wrong. I should be an earthbender, I’d like it much more.”

“You were not born wrong.” Saeyoung said, sitting by his brother. “Mom keeps saying that, but you shouldn’t listen to her. What does she know? She can’t bend anything. There is nothing wrong in being scared.”

“But I can’t connect myself to fire.” 

“I know. But one day you will, if you ever want to. There is no shame in not wanting to bend.” Saeyoung smiled. “I think that you’ll be much cooler taking care of the pretty flowers than firebending.”

“You do?” Saeran smiled.

“Yeah! Saeran Choi, the first and greatest flowerbender” Saeyoung laughed.

“That’s not even a word.” Saeran giggled.

The boy’s laughter was interrupted by the knock on the door. Immediately, the two children turned around, seeing their mother come to the kitchen entrance.

“To the closet, both of you” she voiced, rushing towards the door.

In silence, Saeyoung offered support to help his brother stand, helping him walk to the closet. It should be another client looking for mother’s stolen goods. Closing the door, Saeyoung allowed his brother to lay down on his lap, stroking his hair as they waited for mother’s signal for them to leave. They were a secret, shadows lurching on the corners of a house that should be populated only by mother, no one else. 

“Who are you?” they heard mother say. “What are you doing here?”

“Ma’am, it has come to our attention that you sell stolen goods. We need you to come with us.” a male voice said, calling the boy’s attention and prompting them to look through the gap between the closet doors. 

“What are you talking about?” she voiced. “I’ve never stolen anything. Just go away”

“Ma’am, we must search your home for the stolen goods. If we don’t find anything, we’ll leave”

Saeran wrapped his hand around Saeyoung’s arm.

“Hyung…” he whispered, but Saeyoung covered his mouth before he could finish. There was something wrong. 

“You’ll leave now! I don’t have to prove anything to you!” mother yelled.

The boys flinched, seeing a blaze of light come from the direction of the door, followed by the thud of something hitting the ground. They couldn’t see much of the kitchen entrance, but it did not take long for them to recognize their mother’s body on the floor, partially hidden by the kitchen wall. All they could see was her arm, half burned. Saeran whimpered, coming to understand what had happened. Saeyoung pulled him closer, praying for all the gods for his brother not to cry. 

“Search for the brats. They must be here somewhere.” the man said, coming forward and allowing the boys to see him. He was a tall figure, with black hair and beard, wearing the uniform of the higher ranks of the army.

“But sir, what if this wasn’t the right house?” another male voice asked. “They’ll talk about this, people will gossip about the woman’s death.”

_ Death.  _ Saeyoung shivered. Mother was dead.

“We’ll say that she attacked us. It’s just another robber, there’s lots of those running around. Now just do what General Saejoong told us and find those brats for him”

The boys curled up together inside the closet, shivering in fear of their worst nightmare. Father had found them. They would die. Saeyoung pulled Saeran closer, listening to the men rummaging through the room, destroying their small home.

“Don’t let go of my hand and keep running,” he whispered in his brother's ear, attentively looking to the door.

At the slightest movement of the door, Saeyoung pulled Saeran forward, sending a ray of flames towards the guard directly in front of them, making him fall on the ground, his hands covering his face as he screamed. Without stopping, the boy threw a ball of fire on the other two, which extinguished it with a movement of their hands, giving the boys enough time to run through the door. 

“Hyung-” Saeran called, trying his best to keep up with his brother.

“Keep running!” Saeyoung yelled, sending another fire blaze towards their persecutors.

There were three men following them, throwing fire at their direction. It did not matter that they were children, it did not matter that Saeran had trouble breathing, it did not matter that Saeyoung was terrified. None of that would ever matter to their father or his men. Their destiny was to die in his hands, nothing more.

Saeyoung dragged Saeran towards the center of the town, where a music festival seemed to be taking place. The last thing that those men wanted to do was create a fuss. The boys were a secret and they should remain that way. 

They mixed themselves with the crowd. After that, all they had to do was listen attentively to the men’s voices. Saeyoung took care of that, allowing Saeran to hug him and cry. Carefully, Saeyoung led them away from the crowd, stumbling around town until finding an abandoned house. He opened the door, getting inside quickly before closing it again. It was a small room, devoid of anything but an old table, a fireplace and hay scattered through the floor. It would serve as a good hiding place for them. The boys sat on the floor. Without saying a word, Saeyoung allowed Saeran to cry, rocking him back and forth until neither of them had any tears left. He did not know how long it took, but it did not matter. He was Saeran’s protector. Giving his brother peace of spirit would never burden him.

“Mom died,” Saeran whispered.

“Mom died.” Saeyoung echoed. “They killed her. But do you know who they won't be able to kill? You and me. We’re much better than them.”

“I’m scared,” the younger cried. “I wanna go home, Saeyoung. I don’t like it here, I wanna go back home.”

“We can't” he answered, “I’m sorry, Saeran. We can't go back there.” his brother hugged him tighter. Nights were cold at that time of the year and the boys were already shivering. “I’ll light the fire, okay?” Saeyoung whispered. “We’ll stay here for a few days, until they forget about us, then we’ll leave this city and never come back.”

Saeran nodded, watching his older twin lighting the fireplace. In his eleven years of life, the boy had barely gone out of their home. The unknown outside world had been forcefully introduced to him, and he did not like it at all. Above all, he was utterly afraid. Mother, her slurs, the locked door of their home, that had been his entire world so far, and so the mere thought of being in a new place was enough to terrify him beyond comprehension. Without daring to move, he watched Saeyoung gathering the scattered hay so that it could serve them as a source of warmth for the night. 

“There,” Saeyoung said, pulling his brother to the pile of hay that he had made. “Let's sleep now.”

“Saeyoung, I’m scared.” Saeran whimpered, hugging his brother closer as they lied down. The small boy continued coughing. He was getting worse again, Saeyoung knew, but there was nothing left for them to do. They had to endure the night.

“Me too.” Saeyoung whispered back, feeling Saeran’s small hand playing with his hair until both of them fell asleep.

. . .

A few days had passed since mother’s death. Saeran’s condition had worsened each day, until he could barely move as fever took hold of his entire body. Saeyoung tried to do his best to take care of the situation. First, he ripped his own shirt to make pieces of cloth to tie around their heads, hiding their bright red hair. His next move was to steal a blanket, to give them warmth during the night. Every day he left Saeran alone in order to get them food, but the fear of being discovered made his abilities in mugging drastically decrease. As soon as he spotted one soldier, he ran away, and because of that the boys were starving, sharing small pieces of meals in order to survive.

Saeyoung was walking back to the hideout, without anything to give his brother. No food, no medicine, nothing. He had planned on gathering resources for them to leave, but every day the town was getting more aware of them, soldiers extensively searching around for the boys. 

He did not know for how long he stood outside of a food stall, looking at the pans that contained boiling broth and noodles. He was so hungry that day, praying for the spirits to help him gather food.

“Are you hungry, son?” the man behind the counter asked upon noticing his presence.

Saeyoung took two steps back, shivering as he raised his eyes to the man, slightly nodding.

“Let me give you something, then” the old men said, filling a bowl with noodle soup and giving it to him alongside three pork buns, wrapped around a cloth.

“T-thank you, sir!” the boy smiled, taking the food with his shivering hands. “Thank you!”

Saeyoung ran back to the hideout, carefully holding the bowl to not allow one single drop to fall out. 

“Saeran!” he called, closing the door. “Saeran, look what I got for us!”

His brother sat up, curiosity brimming in his eyes as he looked at his twin.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s soup, look!” Saeyoung answered, placing the bowl on the floor. “And also pork buns.”

“They smell so good, Saeyoung” Saeran said. 

“Here, eat.” he said, giving his brother one of the buns.

The boys ate fast, picking up the noodles with their hands and drinking the broth until the last drop. That had been the first decent meal in the last days, they would make sure to enjoy every part of it. 

“Do you think that mom is still mad at us?” Saeran quietly asked, lying back on the pile of hay.

“What are you talking about?” Saeyoung asked, pulling the blanket to cover his feverish brother. 

“Mom was so mad at us that night. I made her mad because I couldn’t firebend… Do you think that she’s still mad at me in the afterlife?”

Saeyoung was quiet, lying by his brother’s side.

“I hope she isn't,” he answered. “She’s already gone. All I want her to do is leave us alone now.” he raised his eyes, looking at Saeran. “You’re having nightmares, right?”

Saeran nodded, his eyes filling with tears. 

“She’s always angry in them,” the younger one said. “She keeps screaming at us and beating us like she used to. I-I don’t want mom to beat me up again.”

“She won't,” Saeyoung said. “Mom is gone. No coming back.”

“N-no coming back” Saeran stuttered, as if trying to internalize what his brother had just said.

“Look, Saeran…” Saeyoung called. “Remember what I said about staying here until they forget about us and then leave? Well, forget that. I think that we should leave tonight.”

“Tonight?” the younger boy asked. “But I’m feeling really sick, Saeyoung.”

“There are more guards coming after us every day. They may find us if we don’t go away from this town. Can you understand that?”

Saeran nodded, getting closer to his brother, being wrapped in his embrace. He never had to ask Saeyoung for a hug, it was almost as if they knew what the other needed immediately.

“I’m scared,” he cried.

“I’ll take care of you.” Saeyoung answered. “I promise. Let’s sleep for a bit. Tonight we’re leaving.”

. . .

The boys ran. They had not expected to meet a guard in patrol as soon as they left the hideout. They could have never imagined that as they turned the corner, they would come to face the man that had killed their mother. Saeyoung threw his flames at him, giving them enough time to run before fire was shot in their direction, the flames extinguishing in the air as they failed to reach the two targets.

With a sharp tug, Saeyoung pulled his brother to the forest. They had to leave town if they wanted a chance to live. 

A flame crossed the air at their right, setting a tree on fire and making Saeran scream. Saeyoung ran faster, almost dragging his brother with him. He had to protect Saeran, save his brother from those horrible men that wished to do nothing more than torturing them. 

His brother had trouble breathing. The mere fact that Saeran was being able to withstand that amount of running was a miracle, but they knew that it wouldn’t last for long. They could hear the guards screaming and shouting, their voices resonating in between the trees, filling the air with fear and despair as they drew closer to the boys.

“Hyung, watch out!” Saeran said, pushing his brother to the side at the same moment that a fireball hit a tall tree, making it fall in front of them.

The boys fell on the ground, and by the time that they got back on their feet, five men were already surrounding them, prepared to capture the children by any means.

Saeyoung pushed Saeran behind him, sending one ray of flames towards one guard, but the movement gave the other the opening that he needed to send the fire towards the child. The boy fell on the floor, quickly losing conscience because of the pain coming from his burned shoulder. Saeran dropped himself on the floor, calling for Saeyoung, hyung, his brother that he loved so much, so much, so much. He should have protected him, he should have saved Saeyoung.

Saeran cried, seeing the men come closer while all he could do was hug his brother, praying for the spirits to help them, to save them. Before he could see the end, fear took over his heart and everything went black.


	2. Book 1 - Earth: Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Just coming here to remind you that the characters ages will be different in this fic

The mint haired man walked alone in between the stalls of the market. In his basket he held a wide variety of herbs, one of his main goals in that evening. His mint colored eyes were as bright as his kind smile, glimmering under the sunlight. He patted his red robes slightly, trying to get rid of the remaining leaves from the herb shop.

“Good morning, Mr. Jihyun” the owner of the fruit stall greeted, smiling. “What can I do for you today?”

“The same as usual.” he answered, smiling. “My wagon is just a few meters down the road, do you think that you can help me with the boxes?”

“Of course, sir! The boys will take everything there.” the owner smiled. “Are you leaving already?”

“Oh, no. I’ll walk around for a bit, I still have things to solve” he smiled. “But here, I’ll pay you in advance. Tell them to put everything in the wagon”

He walked away after leaving the money over the counter, pulling his straw hat over his head. It was a sunny day, one of the best, in his opinion, to do groceries. 

Jihyun was a good man, people used to say around town. No one truly knew where he came from, but the famed violinist had been living in exile, in a property in the middle woods, and there he would always remain, leaving only on the rare occasions when he performed with his violin. 

After being done, the young man began his journey back home, murmuring a song as he led the dragon moose through the way. Home was far from the city, but Jihyun loved the ride as much as he loved the isolation of his house. The wagon went on slowly, allowing him to be delighted by the peacefulness of the forest, watching the trees moving around and the small creatures of the forest run away as he passed by. Everything seemed within normality, until he saw the circle of trees. It was located just a few meters apart from the road, as if a hurricane had formed in that sole point, ripping the trees away and leaving them on the ground before disappearing, creating a clearing of destruction. 

He tied the dragon moose to a tree at the side of the road, walking to the clearing in order to investigate. The man kneeled on the floor, seeing the pattern of the remains scattered through the floor. It had to be caused by wind, but the airbenders were not known by their hatred for trees, nor by their tendency to fight. Perhaps a battle had taken place, but how would people not be talking about it in town? By the marks, he knew that it had probably happened during the night. If he had taken that way to town, he would have seen it sooner, but a delivery had taken him out of his usual path. 

Jihyun walked to the center of the circle, seeing a stain of blood. Whoever it was that was bleeding, the person walked away, it seemed, creating a small trail of blood drops. Friend or enemy, that person seemed to need help, if they could ever be found. Pulling out the dagger that he carried attached to his pants, Jihyun followed the trail, coming to find a small cave. 

In one hand he held the dagger, on the other he produced a set of flames to illuminate his way through the darkness among the stones. Besides his footsteps, only silence reigned over the cave for the first meters, but he continued to venture further, until he began to hear a childish cry. 

“Hello?” he called, enhancing the flames. “Is anyone there?”

The cry ceased, leaving him with the silence once more. He walked a few steps deeper and as he reached the end of the cave, he saw two small ginger boys, hidden in the darkness. One of them was passed out on the floor, with his right shoulder and arm dilacerated by fire. The other was staring at him, trying to stay protectively in front of his twin, but he was unable to hide the fact that he was terrified. As soon as the boy saw him, he shrieked, the trail of tears still glimmering on his cheeks.

“Hi,” Jihyun said, taking a step towards them. “How did you get here?” 

The boy continued crying, backing away upon seeing the knife.

“Shh, calm down,” Jihyun said, putting his dagger away. "It is gone, see? I won’t hurt you.” he smiled, taking a few steps ahead, but coming to a stop after seeing that the boy was still terrified of him. “I’m here to help. My name is Jihyun, what’s yours?”

The boy didn’t answer, continuing to stare straight at him.

“I live around here.” Jihyun continued. “In fact, I was taking the road home when I noticed that clearing, you know, with the trees destroyed. Do you know who did that?”

The boy shook his head, holding his brother’s hand.

“Is that related to you? To the people that attacked you?”

The child nodded.

“Okay” Jihyun said, giving him a kind smile. “May I get closer? Your brother seems really injured, I can help him if you allow me to.”

Saeran shook his head vehemently, pulling his twin back. The man knew firebending, he should be a bad man just like the ones that killed their mother.

“No, no, please, stop” Jihyun said. “I won’t go near you if you don’t want me to. I promise. It’s just that your brother is really hurt. All I want to do is help you, please.”

The boy looked at his twin, holding his hand tight, and nodded, feeling the tears streaming down his face.

“Thank you” he smiled, getting closer to them. “Are you hurt too or is it just him?”

The ginger child winced before showing the deep cut in his arm.

“Can I take a better look?” Jihyun asked, hovering his hand over the boy’s skin. After receiving a confirmation, he gently took the child’s arm in his hand, examining the cut.

Jihyun was silent. His intention was to see the cut that the boy had in his arm, but the child’s torso was covered in cuts and bruises, some older, others recently done. Jihyun felt a chill run through his spine, quickly glancing at the other boy to verify that he was in the exact same estate. He did not know what the boy’s had gone through, but it had been clearly a lot. They were too skinny, as if they hadn’t received a proper meal in a long time.

Saeran did not know how to react. Saeyoung would be mad at him for accepting the help of a stranger, but his brother was dying. His only brother, his only friend, the person that Saeran loved the most in his life, was dying. And the man was being so kind. Aside from Saeyoung, no one had ever been kind to Saeran. No one had ever talked to Saeran. The boy was mesmerized by the way the man talked. He was just like Saeyoung, so nice, so nice, so nice. Saeran could barely look away from him while he talked about the cut in his arm. 

“Now let me see your brother.” Jihyun said, starting to examine his twin.

Saeran had never seen so much kindness in his life. Mother was never like that. If they ever got hurt and she wasn’t the author of the bruise, they could expect a long beating to follow, so that they would learn to be more careful. She had never been concerned by them like Jihyun was. Never.

“He is severely injured.” Jihyun said. “He has a fever too, probably because of his untreated burns. He needs immediate care. Where are your parents?”

Saeran didn’t know how to answer that. Mom was dead. Father was trying to kill them. 

“Do you have parents?” 

Saeran shook his head. They didn’t. They never had.

Jihyun didn’t have to think much before saying:

“I don’t have resources to treat you here, but if you come to my home with me I can get you medicine for your fever and take care of his injuries. What do you say about that?”

He knew that it was crazy. From the boy’s current state, it would take him a miracle to save them, still, he would never be able to allow them to die cold and alone inside a cave. He had to be strong and faithful that the spirits would be by his side.

The boy winced. Saeyoung would be mad if they went to a stranger’s home, but still… his brother was dying. He nodded, seeing the man smile at him. Saeran loved smiles.

“I’ll take my wagon and bring it here for you, okay? I’ll leave my fire here to give you some light before I come back.” he smiled again “It will be just five minutes, not more than that.”

Saeran kept staring at the men’s back, watching him leave. He was nice. Really nice. The boy turned his gaze to the flame floating over his head and smiled. That was pretty, pretty, so pretty. 

“Hyung,” he called, looking back to Saeyoung. “I’m sorry. I know that you always say that strangers are bad, but he was really nice to us. He’ll save you. I know that he will. I’m really sorry for disobeying you.”

He stroked his brother's hair, lying by his side on the floor. Saeran was so scared, so scared, so scared. He did not want to lose his brother.

“I’m back,” the man said, walking by the dragon moose side, leading him through the cave. “I’ll put your brother in the wagon now. Come, you can go by his side.”

Saeran watched Jihyun raise Saeyoung in his arms, but as he tried to stand, the small boy fell back on the floor. After everything that had happened and sickness spreading fast through his body, his legs were too weak to carry his own weight.

“Are you alright?” Jihyun asked. “Stay still. I’ll take him to the wagon and help you out.”

Saeran kept observing him, the way in which Jihyun placed his brother in the wagon, throwing a blanket over him. He was warm, like the sun blazing in the sky. As he turned back to Saeran, the boy wondered if he was actually a nice spirit that came to save him and his brother.

“Come here,” Jihyun said, raising the child in his arms. 

Saeran didn’t know how to react. In his eleven years of life, no one had ever carried him. Mother would always drag them around, pulling them by their hair or arms, nothing similar to the kindness with which Jihyun was treating them. Saeran never thought that kind people existed besides his brother. Jihyun did not know them and still he was being much kinder than their mother ever was. The boy wrapped his arms around the men’s neck and began to cry. He needed to cry, cry, cry, as the pain in his chest grew stronger by the second. Mother was gone. She hated them until the end and she was gone, perpetually disappointed at him. They had no one and now Saeyoung was leaving him too. His only brother was dying. Saeran loved his brother so much, so much, so much.

“Shhh, don't cry,” the man cooed, placing his hand behind the boy's head. “Your brother will be safe, I promise. You two are safe now. Please, don't cry.”

“Please,” he cried. “Please, save him. Please”

Jihyun hugged the child tighter, feeling the boy’s tears fall over his shoulder. Poor children. They seemed at the edge, like two birds fighting against a storm. The boy burned in his arms as fever had taken hold of him completely. He wouldn’t have much time to take care of them, he knew, but he had to try. As he carried the boy, he felt his irregular breathing, his weak heart beating in his chest, striving for survival. Still, their chi was strong. It flowed through their bodies, weakened by their injuries, but with a tremendous potential. 

“You’re really strong, did you know that?” he said while walking to the wagon, rocking the boy in his arms. “I’ll protect you two. I promise. From now on, you’ll be safe.”

The man placed him in the wagon, by his brother's side. Saeran immediately hugged Saeyoung, continuing to cry while the kind men pulled the blanket over him. Thank you, Saeran thought. Thank you. He was sure that the man was a spirit, just like the ones that existed in Saeyoung’s stories. He was so kind, so kind, so kind.

The small boy did not let go of his brother. As fever fell even more upon him, he began closing his eyes, losing his consciousness until slipping into a dreamless sleep.

. . .

Saeyoung opened his eyes. His mind felt blank, his thoughts and memories swirling around too quickly for him to get a grasp of any of them. The boy stared at the wood ceiling. Where was he? How did he get there? He tried to sit, but the unbearable pain in his right arm held him still, making him groan. His arm was hurting from the burns. The burns. The guards had gotten him and Saeran. Where was Saeran? Why wasn’t he dead yet?

The door opened with a creek, making the boy look at it, hoping to see his captors, but instead he saw his sibling, wearing a clean set of red clothes that they would never have been able to afford. As soon as he saw him, Saeran smiled, going towards him. Saeran was walking. He still limped, but he managed to walk faltering steps until reaching his twin. 

“Hyung, you’re fine!” Saeran cheered, hugging Saeyoung. “You’re fine, you’re fine!”

Saeyoung hugged him back. He had not realized before that he was in a bed. A very simple one, composed by a thin futon spread over a wood structure. Still, it was a bed. He had never been in one before.

“Where are we, Saeran?” Saeroung asked, forcing himself to sit up in spite of the pain and holding his brother tight. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?” he asked. 

“I’m fine, hyung!” Saeran smiled. “I swear, I’m fine! Hyung is taking care of us!”

“Who is taking care of us?” The older one asked. 

“I am.”

He looked to the side and saw a blue haired man wearing a simple red kimono smiling at him. Who was that? Saeyoung pulled his brother closer, making him fall in bed, and raised his arm, forming a flame that hovered over his fingertips. 

“Who are you?” he asked. “What did you do to my brother?”

“Calm down, you shouldn’t waste your energy like that.” V smiled, walking to a table and beginning to grind some herbs in a pestle. “I’m Kim Jihyun. I met your brother in the woods and brought the two of you to my home to give you treatment for your wounds.”

“You allowed a stranger to help us?” he asked, looking at Saeran.

“I-I know that you always say that strange people are dangerous, h-hyung, but Mr. Jihyun is really nice! And he saved you!”

“Are you crazy?” Saeyoung asked back. “We can’t-” he stopped, looking at the man that was smiling at him. It was not right to say those things in front of the person, so he pulled his brother, turning their backs to the strange man. “We can’t trust him. What if he’s a killer?”

Jihyun laughed, walking towards the boy with the medicine for the boy’s wounds in his hands.

“I can promise you that I’m not a killer.” he said. “I’m just a friend. I live here in the southern woods of Hao-Ka, near the city of Yolong. I saw a weird thing in the woods on my way back home from the market. When I investigated, I found you and your brother hidden in a cave. That’s all”

“I don’t believe you,” Saeyoung said. “We never came to this place, I passed out near Kozzu, where we lived. You’re lying to us.”

“It’s true, hyung!” Saeran intervened. “I… After you passed out, I passed out as well. When I woke up, we were in the middle of a clearing. All trees around us were destroyed. I got scared and dragged you to a nearby cave. Mr. Jihyun found us a bit after that.”

“How do you know that’s not a plan? He might be with the guards and brought us here for some reason!” Saeyoung said in between his teeth, turning back to look at Jihyun. “Can you prove to me that you are not with the men that tried to kill us?”

Jihyun lowered his head, taking a deep breath. 

“No. I do not have a way to prove that.” he answered, taking another step towards the boys. “Look, I really want to help you. I give you my word that here you and your brother will be safe. I won’t let anyone touch you while in this property.” the man smiled at him. “What do you tell me?”

Saeyoung shivered. He was scared of the man in front of him, still, his brother seemed to be well treated. It was clear that Saeran wanted to stay there with the men. His naive little brother, with such a pure, stainless heart. Saeyoung sighed. 

“Fine. I’ll trust you for now” he said. “B-but if you try anything, I’m a really powerful firebender, alright?”

“Oh, of course” Jihyun chuckled. “I swear that I’ll behave, I would never want to get in trouble with you.”

Saeran gave him a crooked smile.

“Can I treat your arm, now?” the man asked, sitting in a stool at the right side of the bed. 

“What’s that?” Saeyoung asked, pointing to the bowl Jihyun was holding.

“A paste of herbs.” he answered, slowly removing the bandages from his arm. “It’ll help the burn to heal. It’s gotten a good part of your shoulder and arm. This is a precise attack from someone from the military, a tactic of disable the opponent’s bending. Who attacked you?”

“The fire nation guards,” the boy answered.

“Why did they attack you?”

Saeyoung was silent. He had no interest in sharing that information with him.

“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. I know how the army can be sometimes.” Jihyun sighed. “May I know your names? You brother is not very fond of talking” he chuckled.

“How long have we been here?” the child asked. 

“One day.” Jihyun answered. “Your bruises were serious, you’ve been asleep for the entire time. Your brother got out of bed after a good night’s sleep, but he refused to leave you alone for too long. You two have a beautiful friendship”

Saeyoung smiled, looking at Saeran. His twin was sitting on the foot of the bed, looking at him, and as soon as his brother looked back at him, he dropped himself on bed, laying his head on Sayoung’s lap. Saeran was a good boy. Even if he was apprehensive with the idea of being in a stranger’s home, Saeyoung was deeply thankful for his brother saving his life like that. Besides, Jihyun had the chance of killing them. Maybe he wasn't evil after all.

“I’m Saeyoung.” he answered. “He’s Saeran”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. How old are you?”

“We’re eleven,” the boy answered.

Jihyun pondered. They were small children, and their physical shape, so thin and bony, a clear result of starvation, did not give them much advantage. Poor children. He had absolutely no clue of how they could have ended up in that cave or why they had been attacked, but he should find someone to take care of them, perhaps a distant relative. Even if it meant taking them to another kingdom, it seemed better than leaving them to fate.

“Rest, Saeyoung. You will feel better soon. I’ll bring you lunch.” he turned to Saeran “I believe that you will stay here with your brother?”

Saeran nodded in response, making the man chuckle before leaving the bedroom.

“I was so worried about you!” Saeran said as soon as the door closed, getting closer to his brother. “I’m sorry about taking us here, it’s just… I was really afraid of losing you.”

“Don’t be sorry, you did really good” Saeyoung smiled. “You saved me. Thank you, Saeran. Thank you”

Saeran smiled. He would always smile when someone perceived him as useful.

“What do we do now?” Saeran asked. 

“We’ll stay here for a while. It will give us time to think.” his brother answered. “He promised that no one will hurt us here. We’re safe for now. Let’s see what’s up with this guy.”

“He’s really nice, hyung” Saeran smiled. 

Saeyoung smiled back at him, feeling his eyes fill with tears. The realization that they were alive only dawned at that moment as he looked at Saeran, with clean bandages in his bruises and a clean set of clothes, luxuries that neither of them had ever had the privilege of having.

“Hyung…” Saeran called, pulling him into a hug. 

Saeyoung was alive. He thought that he had killed himself and his brother being so useless, unable to protect the two of them, but they had survived their father once more. He sobbed, curled up in Saeran’s hug. They were alive. He had received new clothes too, and the man had been so kind treating the burn in his arm. He wished to be more polite towards him, but he couldn’t. No one was ever kind to children like them. The boys kept hugging each other, as they had done their entire lives, being each other's strength, each other’s support, being a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope that you've enjoyed it and keep your eyes open for the next updates! Please, feel free to leave feedback because it helps me so much and I love reading comments!!
> 
> Lots of love and stay safe ♡


	3. Book 1 - Earth: Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, am I posting two fic chapters today? That's what I call being on fire! If you don't know what I'm talking about, make sure to check my other fic right here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902127/chapters/62947342. If you like the Choi Twins, there's a great chance that you'll like it!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!!!

“Thank you for the food,” Saeran murmured, balancing the plate of soup over his lap.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jihyun smiled, placing the plate with buns on the mattress in front of them. “I don’t like the idea of eating in bed, but you need to rest. I wouldn’t bother you to eat at the table in those conditions”

The man reached one bowl towards Saeyoung, who grumbled some sort of thank you as he picked it up. 

“Enjoy,” Jihyun said, pulling up a chair and sitting near them.

The two boys were sitting on Saeyoung’s bed, just as they were when Jihyun left to get their meals. He watched as Saeran, the younger of the twins, sat closer to his brother, helping him hold the bowl with only one hand. The boys’ eyes were glimmering with tears, so Jihyun knew that they had cried while he was out, but he did not bring it up. It was not worthy of mentioning things like that. 

“How long until my arm gets better?” Saeyoung asked, avoiding to look at the blue haired man.

“It will take a while. I’d avoid firebending until you are recovered.” Jihyun answered. “But you do not need to worry, besides the scar, you won’t have any lingering damage on your movements.”

Saeyoung sighed, slurping more soup from the bowl and ignoring the spoons that Jihyun had given them. The young man noticed that, pushing a strand of hair that had gotten loose from the rest, falling straight down to his jaw. The children ate with their hands, drinking the soup straight from the bowl and making Jihyun wander if that was how they had been raised up to that point, afterall, it was not difficult to comprehend that they had been thoroughly neglected, probably even abused based on the scars and bruises scattered through their bodies.

Saeran coughed, putting the bowl down on his lap to cover his mouth. This brought Jihyun away from his thoughts, making him stand up and sit on the bed near the boy.

“Breathe, it’s okay.” Jihyun said, placing his hand on the boy’s back, trying to sense the energy in his lungs. “You should sleep for a bit after eating.”

“Why are you so worried about taking care of us?” Saeyoung asked, but the question sounded more hostile than he intended to.

“Didn’t you say that you would come after me if I didn’t keep my promise? I would never want to disturb a powerful firebender like you.” Jihyung chuckled, making Saeran laugh. 

Saeyoung felt his face burning, looking down back to his plate. The food was really good, and he was treating Saeran well. That place didn’t seem so bad…

“What’s happening to Saeran?” he asked. 

“Your brother has pneumonia,” Jihyun answered, going back to grinding some herbs. “It’s getting easier to control, but he was really sick when I found you. It will take me a while to make him get healthy.”

The man looked at them, watching Saeyoung split the last piece of bread with his twin. They were good children, he could feel it. 

“I wanted to discuss something with you…” he said, sitting back on the chair, and throwing the minced herbs on Saeran’s soup, telling him to drink it. “Saeran has told me that you don’t have parents. So, I was wondering if you have any living relatives or maybe friends of your family that could take you in. It doesn’t matter where they live, I’ll make sure to take you there safely.”

Saeran stopped eating, waiting to see his brother’s reaction. 

“We don’t have anyone.” Saeyoung answered, lowering his head back to the food.

“Not even a friend of your parents?”

“What’s with all the questions?” the boy asked. “Why do you need to know all this?”

“I’m just trying to help,” Jihyun answered without shifting his serene expression. “You are too young to stay alone in the world, there must be someone that-”

“There isn’t.” Saeyoung said. “We’re all alone.”

Jihyun sighed. There should be someone. Everyone had friends. Perhaps the boy hadn’t understood what he was telling them, or were too scared to be adopted by someone.

“Can you give me your documents?” Jihyun asked. “I have a friend that can try to track people related to you.”

“What are documents?” Saeran asked. 

The two boys looked at him, intrigued by the weird words that came out of his mouth.

“You don’t…” Jihyun sighed, stopping himself before finishing the sentence. “It’s okay. We’ll see about this later on. For now, focus on resting.”

“Thank you for the food,” Saeran smiled, giving him the plate back.

“You’re welcome.” Jihyun said, picking up Saeyoug’s plate too. “You two should rest for a bit. I’ll come wake you up when it’s time to change your bandages again.”

Saeyoung kept in silence. That man was being too nice, that was a sign that there was something wrong. No one cared about children like them, no one. Jihyun should be wanting to do something with them, something mean. Still, even afraid, he liked how he didn’t yell at them for being sick, or beat them up for being hurt. Besides, he treated his brother well.

“Saeran, you woke up a bit before me. Did you walk around the house?” Saeyoung asked.

“Yes. It’s so big, Saeyoung!” his brother said. “He has different rooms for different activities, it’s so weird! For example, this is a bedroom, and we sleep here, but if you want to eat or make your food, you need to go to the kitchen.”

“That’s so weird…” Saeyoung nodded. “See, I told you that we should never trust people with weird hair color.”

“You never told me that.” Saeran replied.

“Of course I did!” Saeyoung insisted, looking at his brother. “We should never trust people with weird hair color. See? I said it!”

“That’s not how this works!” Saeran rolled his eyes. “And what his hair color has to do with anything?”

“I-I don’t know. But there is something wrong with him.” Saeyoung huffed, leaning his chin over his hand. “At least he  _ said _ that we are protected here.”

“You doubt people too much” Saeran said. “He might just be really nice, hyung.”

Saeyoung was in silence once more. He wanted to believe in his brother, but he had been proven many times that people are mean, especially with broken children. After everything mother had done to him, everything that she had put him through, he knew that no one would help them out of kindness.

“And you trust people too much” he chuckled, laying back in bed. “Come on, we really should sleep more. You should rest.”

“Alright. We don’t want to make him mad, right?” Saeran asked, fluffing the pillow underneath his head.

“Yeah.” Saeyoung whispered. “Hey, you didn’t tell me about the house. How is it, besides the different rooms?”

“Oh, it’s beautiful!! There are lots of plants everywhere and the house is completely open. There are corridors that are covered by a roof, but they are on the outside and each room is almost a little house, you know?”

“Sounds cool. I hope that I'll get better to see it soon” he laughed.

“Me too!” Saeran nodded. “We can see everything together, then.”

With much care, Saeran hugged his brother’s healthy arm, falling asleep soon after. Saeyoung did not intend to sleep, but the scent of herbs was relaxing, and soon, he was dreaming.

. . .

Jihyun walked around in his room, wondering what to do. With the boy’s asleep, he supposed that he would have time to contact their relatives, but he did not expect that the boys had no one around. 

“Their parents could be dead for a long time…” he murmured to himself. “If they grew up alone, then it would explain why they don’t know anyone related to them.”

He fell back in his chair, listening to the water flowing in the creek outside. They were so scared of him. He had never seen anyone afraid like that. He wished to help, but maybe he was doing everything wrong. 

The twenty four year old sighed. He knew nothing about children, he couldn’t stay with them. There should be someone more qualified for the job. Still, sending them to an orphanage would not be different than abandoning them. He had to find someone that could provide for them. Someone related to the children.

He called for his hawk, placing the letter on the compartment attached to the bird’s back. Jumin would be able to help him with that unusual situation.

. . .

Saeyoung squirmed, biting his lower lip as he tried not to cry from the pain of having his bandages changed. Everything was painful, as if small needles kept stinging his skin one by one, the burning sensation spreading through his arm and shoulder like a wave. Saeran was sitting in bed at his left side, holding his hand.

“You’re doing fine,” Jihyun said, trying to be as gentle as he could. “I’m almost done with your arm, it’s just the shoulder now.”

Saeyoung closed his eyes, whimpering as Jihyun touched his burns in order to spread the ointment. 

“Just a little bit more,” Jihyung encouraged, picking up the roll of bandages. “You’re really brave, just wait a bit more.”

Carefully, he wrapped the boy’s shoulder in bandages, making sure to cover all the burned area. It covered a large sum of his right side, starting over his shoulder and going down to the beginning of the ribs, spreading to the arm up to his elbow. 

“You did great.” Jihyung said, stroking the boy’s hair as the child cried. “It’s over now. It’s over.”

Saeyoung froze. What was that? Why would he do that? When he first felt the man’s hand touching his hair, he stiffened, waiting to feel the sharp tug on his scalp, but the pain never came. Instead, Jihyun’s hands rested over his hair, stroking it while his warm voice attempted to calm him down. He was being kind again. Why? Why was he being kind to them? The boy felt torn apart, longing the care that the man offered them, but still afraid of all the horrendous things that could happen if the man betrayed their trust. 

He raised his head, looking into the man’s mint eyes, seeking an answer for the question that tormented him so much. Why was he being so kind? What did he want from them? For his entire life, everything came with a price. If he wanted a medicine for Saeran, he had to work twice as hard to steal things for mom, if he wished to eat, he’d better have something interesting to show her at the end of the day. Saeyoung was used to bargain for his life, he was good at it, he knew what to say and how to say it in order to live another day. But he wasn’t good at receiving kindness like that.

“It will take a while for everything to heal, but you’ll be fine soon.” Jihyun smiled. “I promise. Now that you are awake, do you want to walk around for a bit?”

Saeyoung looked at Saeran, who seemed to wait for his answer.

“Can I?” he asked back to the man. 

“Of course! It’ll be good for you” Jihyun answered, helping the boy to stand up. “I’ll stay close in case that you need me. Come.”

Saeyoung held Saeran’s hand, following the man outside the room. His home was bigger than anything they had ever seen. Just like Saeran had told him, all of the hallways were external, providing them with the view of the garden that glimmered under the afternoon sun. They followed Jihyun down a small set of stairs, entering a small garden that stood in the middle of the home, cut by a small stream that, Saeyoung noticed, followed it’s way underneath the house.

“Pretty.” Saeran awed.

“Thank you. I’ll make us some tea, feel free to play around here” he bowed, going back to the corridor and disappearing inside one of the doors. 

“Wow” Saeyoung chuckled. “This is beautiful.”

“Right?” Saeran smiled. “Look, hyung, butterflies!”

They sat on the grass near the creek, unable to stop looking around, amazed by the view.

“Let’s play firebending?” Saeyoung asked.

“Mr. Jihyun told you to stop firebending until you get better.” Saeran said.

“Oh, come on, he’ll never find out” Saeyoung giggled. 

“Saeyoung… It’s better not.” Saeran said, pouting.

“Ugh, fine.” Saeyoung grumbled, falling on his back. “Hey, look at those clouds. Those ones look like bunnies.” he laughed.

“And that one looks like a fire ferret!” his brother giggles, lying on his back.

The boys continued looking at the sky until they heard a familiar voice calling for them. 

“Are you ready to eat?”

They turned around immediately, seeing Jihyun standing near a stone table, picking plates and cups out of a tray and placing them over the stone. The boys walked up to him slowly, finding it difficult to understand his question. They had comprehended that he would bring tea for himself, but now… He seemed to be inviting them to eat. The man sat down, beginning to pour tea on the three cups that were set over the table before he raised his eyes to the children.

“Is there something wrong?” He asked, seeing that the boy’s were still standing.

“We’ll eat with you?” Saeyoung asked, unable to believe in the man’s offer. “This… This is for us too?”

Jihyun stopped, almost as if his brain could not comprehend the boy’s question. Why would they think that he had brought food only for himself? The man stood up, noticing the boys taking one step back.

“It’s for all of us,” he said, walking up to them, bending his knees to stay at the same high as them. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but in this house, you’ll have food whenever you want.”

Saeran gave him a shy smile, hugging his brother’s arm. Saeyoung was silent, trying to absorb what the man had just told them. The boys’ eyes were filled by tears. It seemed so weird for them the idea of having fresh meals, of having someone to call them to eat, of someone worrying if there was something wrong with them. After so many nights spent crying out of hunger, hoping that mother would leave something on her plate for them, such a life seemed not much different than a dream. 

“Hey, don’t cry.” Jihyun said, placing his hand over Saeran’s left shoulder and holding Saeyoung’s right forearm. “Come, let’s have some tea. It’s good to calm the spirits.” 

He stood up offering his hands to the boys. Saeran took it, but Saeyoung decided to hold his brother’s hand tighter, ignoring the man’s gesture. He should not trust him. 

Jihyun guided them to the table, where they sat together on one bench while the older man sat in front of them. They saw foods that they had never even imagined could exist, but even without knowing, they wanted to taste everything. Very slowly, Saeran grabbed one biscuit, biting it and smiling as he felt a citric taste fill his mouth. Saeyoung took a deep breath, taking a piece of cake. It was sweet. He discovered that he liked sweet things. 

“While you eat, do you mind telling me how long it’s been since you are alone? You told me that you came from Kozzu, right?”

“Mom died some days ago.” Saeyoung said, looking at him. “We lived in the streets for a few days until we ran away and ended up here.”

“Who are you running away from?”

Saeyoung did not answer. He did not know if the man could be trusted with that information. 

“Our dad,” Saeran said.

“Saeran!” Saeyoung called him out, making his brother look at him.

“He should know.” Saeran insisted.

“No, he shouldn't!” 

“If he wants to help us, he has to know!” Saeran said before silence falling between the brothers.

“Fine.” Saeyoung agreed. “We’re running from our dad.”

“Your dad is the one who attacked you?” 

The boys’ nodded, pausing to take a sip of tea from their cups. 

“Dad hates us because we were born.” Saeyoung continued. “Mom used to threaten telling people we were his children if he didn’t send her money, and now he…” he stopped. He couldn’t say the rest.

Saeyoung felt Saeran brushing his hair with his fingers. What they were doing was crazy, but if that man wanted to help them so much, if he was offering to protect them, he would have to know what threat they carried. Saeyoung had to take the risk for Saeran.

“His name in Saejoong Choi. He’s a general in the Fire Nation. We know that we are a threat for people around us, but… Please, sir, don’t send us away.” Saeyoung begged, raising his eyes to the man. “Please, we... We behave nicely and we can work.” he felt tears falling from his eyes as he struggled to get the words out “We don’t ask for money, just food and a place to sleep is fine, we just… I need to keep my brother safe, please.”

“Saeyoung…” the man called, standing up and walking towards the crying boy, crouching by his side. “You two are welcome to stay in here for as long as you wish. You are my guests here. There is no need to work in exchange for food. You don’t need to be afraid.” he said, wiping the tears from the boy’s cheeks. “We’ll solve this situation together. It doesn’t matter who is the person that is trying to harm you. Even if the Fire Lord comes here, I’m not going to allow them to do anything against you. Ever.”

Saeyoung nodded, attempting to stop crying, but everytime that he looked at Jihyun, the tears began to fall once more. Why was he being so kind? It made no sense. In his life, Saeyoung had always fought to keep himself and his brother alive. How could that person be so sweet to them? No one was ever kind, or sweet, or courteous towards them. They were always treated like nothing, not more than bugs crawling under the pavement.

“Hyung, calm down, please.” Saeran called. “We’re safe.”

Saeran made him smile as always. His brother was so sweet, such a good and naive boy that was not ready to face the outside world.

“Saeran, would you mind taking a glass of water for him in the kitchen?” Jihyun asked. “It’s where I’ve shown you earlier, do you remember?”

The younger boy nodded, giving his brother a kiss on the cheek before heading towards the kitchen, leaving the other two alone. Jihyun stood up, sitting by the boy’s side.

“There’s a tale that says that the trees only grow because they believe that, if they do so, they’ll show the way to their sisters.” he said. “You’re very brave taking care of him. I’ve seen many adults that are not even close to this.” Jihyun took a deep breath, seeing that no response came from the child. “I know that you don’t trust me completely, and I comprehend you for that. I wish that I could show you a ‘I’m not bad’ badge to prove that I’m really not as bad as it seems.”

Saeyoung snorted, looking the other way so that the man could not see him laughing. 

“I’m only someone that was in the right place at the right time, nothing more.” Jihyun completed.

“I’ll trust you… for now” the boy answered. “You’re not so bad”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best to honor your trust.”

Saeran came back with the water, giving it to his brother, who smiled upon seeing him. Jihyun had never seen such a close relationship, a brotherhood in which every glance and smile seemed to irradiate with the love that the boys felt for each other. 

“Now, who wants more tea?” Jihyun asked, getting back to his seat. “Sun cakes?” he asked, offering a plate filled with a red cake to the boys.

“Thank you,” Saeran said, taking one for him and another for his twin.

“I imagine that it must be puzzling for you to be in a new place with a stranger.” Jihyun said. “If you have any questions about me…”

“How old are you?” Saeran asked.

“I’m twenty four.”

“What’s your job?” Saeyoung asked.

“I’m a violinist. And I also take care of my house by myself, but that’s not a job, that’s more of a need” he chuckled.

“Are you really a firebender?” Saeyoung asked once more.

Jihyun stopped. 

“Oh, umh… The trick on the cave? That was just…” he stuttered. “It’s just a little trick, that was not-”

“Teach us!” Saeyoung said. “Please?”

Jihyung looked back to the boys. After so long, firebending had become more a set of tricks than an actual ability. It had been long since he had last used it for a serious matter, just before swearing to avoid the extensive knowledge that he had learned. 

“Let’s think about this. First, you must get better” he smiled.

“Do you live alone?” Saeran asked.

“Yes. Well, I actually have Ikeh, my dragon moose. And a few fire ferrets that come here from time to time to eat the food that I leave for them.” Jihyung chuckled, scratching the back of his head. 

“Why do you live alone?” Saeyoung asked.

Once more, Jihyun stopped. 

“Because…” he didn’t complete the sentence. “It’s late. The sun is setting already. I should clean things up. Why don’t you boys go back to your room? You can play until dinner time.”

They watched in silence as the man placed the dirty dishes on the tray, walking back to the kitchen. Saeyoung frowned, puffing his cheeks. Who did that guy think that he was? He let go of Saeran’s hand, rushing to catch up with the man who was already going up the stairs.

“Why didn’t you answer me?” he asked, walking by the man’s side.

“Umh… It’s complicated.” Jihyun answered. 

“Why?” Saeyoung turned to ask, seeing his brother appearing on Jihyun’s other side, watching their conversation.

“Because, sometimes things happen in life and it’s too complicated to talk about it” he chuckled. “You’re pretty insistent, huh?”

“I prefer ‘terribly annoying’, it’s one of my many gifts.” Saeyoung pointed out. “Come on, we just told you that our dad wants to kill us. Is it more complicated than that?”

Jihyun laughed, opening the door to the kitchen and holding it so that the children could walk in. 

“I wouldn’t say more complicated. Just… Complicated.” he chuckled, placing the dishes in the sink. “Let’s just say that I did not meet my father’s expectations and I found it better to step away from him for a while”

“How long has it been?” Saeran asked with his quiet voice.

“Three years.” the man answered. “My dad is not exactly a nice guy”

“I hope we don’t meet him,” Saeran murmured.

“I hope it too,” Jihyun chuckled. “Are you satisfied now that I answered you?”

“Of course not!” Saeyoung said. “What about firebending? I wanna learn, and Saeran told me about the floating flame in the cave” he puffed his cheeks again. “Please. I’m awesome at it, but I wanna learn more and I know that you can teach me.”

Jihyun laughed again, looking outside the window that stood over the sink.

“Why do you want to learn firebending?” he asked. 

“Because I need to take care of Saeran. If my dad comes after us, he’ll attack us. If I was stronger, I would have been able to save us a few days ago.” the boy answered, holding his right forearm with his left hand. “Please. Besides, I wanna learn those sweet moves” he exclaimed, simulating a punch on the air with his good arm.

“Sweet moves?” Jihyun laughed. “Alright. I’ll teach you how to defend yourself, but that’s it. No dangerous firebending.”

“Yes!” the boy cheered.

“What about you?” Jihyun asked, looking at Saeran. “Don’t you want to learn too?”

Saeran shook his head.

“Saeran is afraid of firebending.” Saeyoung said. “He… Well, he has bad memories of when we tried to learn it at home.”

“I see…” Jihyun said, kneeling in front of Saeran. “Hey, if I’m going to teach it to your brother, why don’t you try to learn it? Just a bit. I’ll show you that there’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

“No beating if I do it wrong?” the child asked.

Jihyun closed his eyes. In what kind of environment had they grown up? He cupped the boy’s cheeks with his hands, saying:

“No beating.”

That made the boy open his shy smile, nodding. 

“We’ll begin as soon as you get better, Saeyoung.” Jihyun said, going back to his dishes. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Hell yeah!” the boy exclaimed. “I’m going to do the whoosh, and whoosh” he cheered, throwing kicks and punches in the air to match with the blowing sounds made by his mouth. 

Jihyun laughed at the scene. Could he be growing fond of them? Maybe having them at home wouldn’t be so hard as he thought before. The man continued to hear the older twin rambling about different subjects for the rest of the time, wondering how he would explain to Jumin how he had already solved the question of who would be responsible for raising the children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope that you've enjoyed it and keep your eyes open for the next updates! Please, feel free to leave feedback because it helps me so much and I love reading comments!!
> 
> Lots of love and stay safe ♡
> 
> PS: I'll try to update this fic more often, I promise. And as soon as I finish my other longfic, this one will receive my main focus

**Author's Note:**

> I truly hope that you've enjoyed it and keep your eyes open for the next updates! Please, feel free to leave feedback because it helps me so much and I love reading comments!!
> 
> Lots of love and stay safe ♡


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